


Uncapping

by wisia



Series: Wisia's Avenger Drabbles [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Friendship, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Substance Abuse, Trust Issues, hinted Bipolar Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2013-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-08 18:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/764326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisia/pseuds/wisia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony speaks to Natasha about his assessment (or what's missing from it).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uncapping

**Author's Note:**

> A Tony Stark centric piece. It just came into my head, and I want to warn that and apologize for anything that may offend because this piece hints at being bipolar. I may not do it justice and probably haven’t because I didn’t write it directly. I may in the future.
> 
> I’m not an expert on mental issues and mental health though I am studying that currently in my nursing class. I will also say that you should probably be taking your medication, and Tony was being non-compliant here (ie. Not taking his meds)  
> And if you have read through all that and still want to give it try, I have warned you. Or if you’ll like to suggest how I may better write on the subject, feel free too. Thank you.
> 
> [Warnings: Hints at being bipolar, substance abuse/alcohol abuse, refusal to take meds, mind control, mind washing, trust issues]

               Tony knows he lucked out. That the assessment could have been far worse than what Romanov wrote. He could handle textbook narcissism (he was pretty impressive, all right. Who didn’t want to be him? He wanted to be him if he wasn’t already him.) Not that Tony wanted to—that’s why he had J.A.R.V.I.S. hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. and erased everything. But Tony isn’t stupid, and S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t either. There was bound to be paper copies somewhere (probably for Captain America most likely). Outdated as the things were (and they were seriously outdated) they had their uses. Even Tony used paper (I know, sacrilegious, but still).

                Anyway, paper. There were probably paper documents telling the whole world what Tony was, and for that, Tony was lucky. That the assessment danced attendance on his daddy issues, alcoholic problems and apparent narcissism. That it didn’t dance on that.

                “Why didn’t you?” Tony asks. The Black Widow sits on his desk, ankles crossed. He knows why she’s there. Not out of concern, and speaking of concern, Tony wonders what Pepper is up to now. He should go see her after.

                “Why didn’t I what, Stark?” Romanov leans back on the desk and studies him. Tony opened the tower to all the Avengers. He didn’t give anyone access to this room (and he should probably find a better way of spider proofing the place. Tony was not going to die by thighs though they were very impressive thighs).

                “Don’t play games, Natalie,” tony says. He doesn’t reach for the alcohol he knows is in the room. He promised Pepper he wouldn’t, and Tony could do it. He was Tony Stark, and he could definitely not drink if he didn’t want to.

                “It wasn’t necessary,” Romanov says after a minute pause. Tony laughs. “I find that hard to believe.”

                “It’s true,” Romanov says with a roll of shoulders. “You did your job.”

                Tony can’t stop his hands from shaking or his foot from tapping.

                “Ah,” Tony says, and it’s only barely tightly controlled. “But for how long? I’m a consultant only, right?”

                He wants to kick something. He doesn’t. The Black Widow doesn’t flinch. Tony has made his point, and he still really wants to kick something. Or invent something. Maybe something new. He was going to beef up the security on the tower.

                “It will be corrected,” Romanov says. “Rogers isn’t going to let it lie.”

                Tony lets a grin split his mouth wide. Because, of course. Dear old Captain America. All for standing up to bullies and shit.

                “But you will,” Tony challenges. He moves in, sweeping close. Tony could kill her. He was good at calculating even if Romanov was the better fighter. He only needed the one moment.

                “No,” and she stares flatly into his eyes. Tony is surprised. The Black Widow was giving her confidence.

                “I understand,” she says. “When it’s your own mind and them.”

                Tony doesn’t say a thing. He does kick the desk though.

                “The Red Room,” Romanov says cryptically and slides past him off the desk. He thinks he should look that up later.

                “Barton is with me,” she adds at the door and shuts it quietly. Because Barton was touched by Loki. Mindwashed. It wasn’t exactly the same, but close enough. Tony smiles sardonically at the thought.

                “Of course,” he says to the air and reaches over the desk to tug open the drawer. The reason why Romanov was there in the first place. Tony takes out a bottle. It’s lithium bicarbonate. Tony has never taken it. Refused to. Replaced the bottle when it expired, but Tony didn’t take it. He didn’t want to. Didn’t need to. He rode out his highs the best he could but—

                Tony was on a team now. He uncapped the bottle.

**Author's Note:**

> I do plan to write more on this later. And I will probably address bipolar disorder directly in the later parts. I know I didn't do it here.
> 
> EDIT: 7-21-14 Don't know if I'll come back to this, so putting this into drabble series.


End file.
